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Newsletter 7-07
ORDER NOW
“G’d Up 24/7: GHB Addiction Guide” Is Finally A Reality!!!
Project GHB is proud to announce that “G’d
Up 24/7: The GHB Addiction Guide,” is now available for purchase for just
$30 plus $3 shipping/handling. This book is totally unique and is the only
thing on the market about GHB addiction. “G’d Up 24/7” includes articles
for medical, corrections and law enforcement personnel who may encounter GHB
addicts under the influence or in withdrawal. Some of the chapters were written
by top doctors and researchers. There is a section of reprints from major
newspapers about GHB addiction issues, including the NY Daily News, the Tampa
Tribune, the Los Angeles Times, The Dallas Observer, The Dallas Star-Telegram,
and the Huntsville Times. There are also chapters documenting the background of
GHB and its analogs and Project GHB’s Addiction Helpline experience over the
years. There are poems from some of the GHB addicts we have worked with and
some of their stories are told. The final section is excerpts from our GHB
Addiction Message Board, providing insight into how they got hooked on GHB,
their trials and tribulations along the way, what worked or didn’t work in
trying to escape its grip. Order now!
Proceeds go to Project GHB. This is a great
gift to give to your local ER or addiction treatment center or corrections
agency! We hope that this information, not available anywhere else, will help
to save lives, whether hiding in the darkness of their own homes trying to
figure out the secret of escaping GHB, or desperately seeking medical attention
from facilities otherwise unfamiliar with GHB withdrawal syndrome or those
facing withdrawal in jail facilities. GHB withdrawal can be fatal without
proper care. Let’s save some lives. Our email indicates there are still lots
of GHB addicts out there.
Click here for the order
form…There is also a discounted price on the order form if ordered
along with the DVD “All Apologies” by Board Member Suki DeJong. See the next
article for information about her award-winning DVD about her son’s death from
GHB.
NOTE: Our book was published by Law Tech
Publishing, and we appreciate Glenn and Bob who have worked so hard with us
to make it a reality. We would also like to recommend the “Drug ID &
Symptoms Guide,” also published by Law Tech. Trinka Porrata is now the
editor and the book is now expanded and updated. It’s a great reference guide
for officers, medical personnel, counselors, school administration, anyone
dealing with drug issues with a need to recognize the symptoms, paraphernalia,
names, etc. This book is included on the order form linked above.
Project GHB Board Member Wins Screenplay Award
Congratulations to Project GHB Board Member
Suki deJong. Suki won the Best Documentary Screenplay Award May 27 at the
Zaki Gordon Institute for Independent Film in Sedona, Arizona. Her film was
aired twice during the weekend film festival.
Dan Gordon, a founder of the Institute,
presented the award and a check for $1500 to Ms. DeJong
(click here for photos). Her film, "All Apologies" was her thesis
project during a one-year intensive program at the Zaki Gordon Institute. Suki
dedicated the award to Julius, her only child, lost to GHB. It took her four
years to get the film made.
"Finding this little school in Sedona with a
one-year intensive program in documentary film was the only way I could find to
get this film made. I spent a year applying for grants and trying to make the
film on my own, with no results. The film tells how Julius got addicted to GHB
through the bodybuilding community while attending college at FSU, how it
carried over into the club scene and we eventually lost him. I wanted to tell
his story, with as many of the lurid facts about this drug included to get the
word out about GHB. It's my hope that no parent will have to go through what I
went through."
DeJong has an undergraduate degree in film
from the University of Massachusetts in Boston, but has done little filmmaking
until this life-changing tragedy propelled her to produce this important
20-minute documentary. She is now working to secure distribution funding for
the film. DVDs will be available on the web site soon.
AWARDS STACK UP FOR TAMPA TRIBUNE SPECIAL
“A BROKEN MIND”
The Tampa Tribune special on GHB, entitled
“A Broken Mind,” has won the Media General’s D. Tenant Bryan Award and the
Mental Health America’s award for outstanding coverage of a mental health
issue. It was also a finalist for the James Battan Award for public service and
took third place for serious feature writing at the Sunshine State Awards,
sponsored by the Society for Professional Journalists.
The special was the heartfelt work of reporter
Jan Hollingsworth and was centered on the tragic loss of her son, Will, to GHB
addiction and ultimately to suicide, with the stories of others and information
about GHB woven throughout. Numerous others have come forward seeking help as a
result of this special. It is a tremendous accomplishment. Her special report
is available at this link:
http://news.tbo.com//reports/ghb/index.htm
“FRIEND TO HAVE AWARD” RECIPIENTS FOR
2006-7
Project GHB today announced the
2006-2007 recipients for the “A Friend To Have Award.” The new awards go to
Karri Cormican and Hannah Bridgemann of San Francisco; John Lyons, a
criminal investigator in the Johnson County Attorney’s Office in Texas; and
Dr. Deborah Zvosec, a researcher specializing in GHB issues in Minneapolis,
Minnesota.
To counter the prevailing myth that people
overdosing on the drug gamma hydroxy butyrate (GHB) should be allowed to “just
sleep it off,” Project GHB initiated the “A Friend To Have Award”
honoring those
1--with the courage
not to let friends or others die needlessly from this dangerous drug,
2--those who have
escaped its addictive grip and taken time to help others, and
3--those who have
contributed dramatically to GHB prevention/treatment issues.
Karri Cormican & Hannah Bridgemann are
waitresses at Noe’s Bar in San Francisco and intervened when they observed a man
dosing his date’s drink. The Enquirer commended them for their heroic deed in
the May 7, 2007, edition. Karri was serving a young couple and when the female
was away from the table, Karri noticed that the man took out a small packet of
white powder and shook it into her drink. Karri realized what was happening
and, thinking quickly, grabbed the drink saying the beer was spoiled and she
would replace it. She showed it to Hannah, who was bartending; they could even
see the white powder floating on it.
As they tried to calculate how to deal with
the issue, the female returned but then went out to smoke. Karri went after her
to show her the beer and tell her what she had seen. The woman told her it was
a first date; they had met a few weeks earlier at a dance class. Meanwhile,
Hannah rushed out with more stunning news. She had just observed the man drop
two pills into the new beer. They confronted the man, who hurriedly exited the
scene. They also called the police, and the two beers were analyzed. The white
powder had been Sonata, a sleeping medication. The two pills had been Xanax, an
anti-anxiety drug. Never mind that it wasn’t GHB. There are more than 40 drugs
used to facilitate sexual assault, GHB being one of those. This is important
that someone observed such behavior and TOOK ACTION. Joseph Szlamnik, who was
then a senior management assistant for the San Francisco Unified School
District, was arrested and pled guilty to transporting and furnishing a drug.
He was sentenced to a year in jail with six months suspended, and he was
fired. Hats off to the young ladies for being observant and for doing the
right thing.
Dr. Deborah Zvosec, PhD, Minnesota
Medical Research Foundation, has won this award once before. Project GHB felt
compelled to honor her again, this time for her incredible dedication and
determination is tracking down, analyzing and preparing the data for publication
regarding the GHB-related death cases. This was indeed no small task and one
that no one else was able to accomplish. This data is an incredible leap
forward in getting knowledge about GHB death issues to the medical profession,
law enforcement officials and the public. No one but Project GHB had been
tracking GHB-related deaths. Project GHB had maintained a list of any reported
via the death report form on the website,
www.projectghb.org, as well as any references to possible deaths in the news
or from other emails, etc. Project GHB had compiled some data on more than 300
such deaths. Dr. Zvosec took that information and tracked down details on as
many as possible. She has now done a death case review and analysis of 226 of
the documented cases. This study has clearly blown away two common myths about
GHB: 1—That you can’t die from GHB alone; you can die only if you mix it with
alcohol or other drugs. More than one third of the 226 cases were from GHB
alone. 2—That you don’t need to seek medical care for someone who has overdosed
from GHB, but just let the person “sleep it off.” Many of those who died from
GHB overdoses might well have survived had they received medical intervention
prior to cardiac or respiratory arrest.
John Lyons—The March 2007 Project GHB
International Conference on GHB & Chemical Drugs in Dallas, Texas, would not
have happened without John’s dedication and assistance. After Project GHB
President Trinka Porrata was bitten by a spider carrying Guillain-Barre
Syndrome, it was tough to get back on track with a rescheduled conference.
John’s persistence in helping with speaker selection and promotion was very
important to a successful conference. While attendance was a little
disappointing, possibly due to the date change issue, the quality of the
presentations was great.
Click here to see
previous winners…
PROJECT GHB SAYS----MANY THANKS TO THE ALEX
SPANOS GOLF TOURNAMENT & UNITED WAY OF SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY
On June 11, Project GHB received a check for
$3,000 from A.G. Spanos Companies in Stockton, California, at the annual A.G.
Spanos Celebrity Pro Am Golf Tournament. We are thankful to the Spanos Family
and the Stockton United Way for the donation. Project GHB has provided
educational material on GHB issues to a wide variety of community groups in the
Stockton area as a result of annual gifts from The Spanos Tournament. Board
Member Diane Bianconi brought the issue of GHB addiction to the attention of the
Stockton and San Francisco area through her son’s story. Ben Croman was one of
the first to talk on television for us about his battle with GHB addiction, a
battle that he ultimately lost. His story is told on our website’s “tragedies”
page and in our book, “G’d Up 24/7.”
Click here for
photos…
BOOK REVIEW—by Trinka Porrata
“WALKING A GOLDEN MILE”: BY WWE’S WILLIAM
REGAL
Brit William Regal (Darren Matthews really)
grew up wanting to be a professional wrestler. His obsession took him from
wrestling to the global entertainment world of wrestling. And it took him into
the world of steroids, drinking and pain pills…………..and eventually the biggy---GHB.
[Read More]
CHRIS BENOIT CASE OPENS DISCUSSION RE DRUGS
IN WRESTLING
FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. - Pro wrestler Chris Benoit
strangled his wife, suffocated his 7-year-old son and placed a Bible next to
their bodies before hanging himself with a weight-machine pulley, authorities
said Tuesday.
Investigators found anabolic steroids in the
house and want to know whether the muscle man nicknamed "The Canadian Crippler"
was unhinged by the bodybuilding drugs, which can cause paranoia, depression and
explosive outbursts known as "roid rage."
Authorities offered no motive for the killings,
which were spread out over a weekend, and would not discuss Benoit's state of
mind. No suicide note was found.
"I'm baffled about why anybody would kill a
7-year-old," District Attorney Scott Ballard said. "I don't think we'll ever be
able wrap our head around that."
The Montreal-born Benoit was one of the stars of
the WWE wrestling circuit and was known for his wholesome family-man image. His
wife, Nancy, was a wrestling stage manager who worked under the name "Woman."
Other former wrestlers have come forward
talking about the drug issues in the wrestling world. Chris Benoit was known by
others to have been a GHB user.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime_file/2007/06/26/2007-06-26_wrestler_strangles_wife_smothers_son_han.html
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/more_sports/2007/07/01/2007-07-01_benoit_took_daterape_drug.html
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2007/06/27/2007-06-27_chris_benoit_timeline-2.html
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2007/07/05/2007-07-05_wrestler_ma_rages_at_feds.html
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2007/06/28/2007-06-28_wwes_mcmahon_dont_assume_it_was_steroids.html
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime_file/2007/06/27/2007-06-27_tiny_son_got_illegal_boosts.html
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/more_sports/2007/07/04/2007-07-04_prosecutor_rips_groups_claim_about_benoi.html
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/more_sports/2007/07/03/2007-07-03_slamming_roids.html
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/more_sports/2007/07/08/2007-07-08_a_prescription_for_pain.html
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